Making a jump stateside, Trollhunter director André Øvredal creates a high-concept horror film that is loads of fun. Trollhunter played openly with found footage tropes. The Autopsy of Jane Doe has a similar dark sense of humor running throughout it.
Opening on a mysterious murder scene, we follow an unknown female corpse that was found amongst a slain family. The sheriff has no idea who the woman is or how she died. An autopsy is the only way to clear things up. Enter in Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch as father Austin and son Tommy morticians who run the Tilden Morgue. They are to work through the night to help find some clue as to what happened.
Øvredal doesn't shy away from the autopsy itself. The film features some of the best, most gruesome gore in some time. The film echoes a David Cronenberg film in its tendency to gaze at body parts. As the Tildens progress through the autopsy, they notice plenty of weird things including a mysterious tattoo on the inside of her skin. From there, plenty of tense and clever supernatural horror ensues. Øverdal clearly loves the genre and has fun hear blending influences from Romero to Carpenter. The film does rely on some easy to anticipate jump scares but most of the time it succeeds in creeping audiences out.
Hirsch and Cox both do a great job here, grounding the film in a relationship that feels real. Cox in particular helps to bring an air of plausibility to the film with his gruff performance. As with Trollhunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe feels born from myth and legends that sit on the outer edges of the plot. This gives a playful nature to both films as if we are being told a scary story around a camp fire.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a lean and fun horror film executed by a director whose energy and passion for the genre is felt. One should praise Olwen Kelly who plays the titular character. She lies still for the entire film and still managed to haunt me later on.
3.5/5
Hirsch and Cox both do a great job here, grounding the film in a relationship that feels real. Cox in particular helps to bring an air of plausibility to the film with his gruff performance. As with Trollhunter, The Autopsy of Jane Doe feels born from myth and legends that sit on the outer edges of the plot. This gives a playful nature to both films as if we are being told a scary story around a camp fire.
The Autopsy of Jane Doe is a lean and fun horror film executed by a director whose energy and passion for the genre is felt. One should praise Olwen Kelly who plays the titular character. She lies still for the entire film and still managed to haunt me later on.
3.5/5
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